Lawrence & Bundy Expands its Litigation Team with the addition of R. Javoyne Hicks, Monica Owens, and Bria Stephens

ATLANTA (February 16, 2022) - Lawrence & Bundy, a nationally recognized boutique litigation firm, announced today the addition of three attorneys to its Atlanta office.  The new hires reflect the firm’s continued strategic growth over the past several months.

Attorneys R. Javoyne Hicks, Monica Owens, and Bria Stephens will join the firm’s trial teams with an emphasis on handling complex commercial litigation, internal investigations, and labor and employment matters.  The firm has hired six attorneys in the past eight months to meet the expanding needs of its clients.
 
“Javoyne, Monica, and Bria bring a wealth of diverse experience from their past legal roles in public service and in private practice,” said Allegra Lawrence-Hardy, co-founder of the firm.  “This deep knowledge base will further contribute to the authentic cognitive diversity we are able to offer our clients when developing the best solutions to address their legal problems.”
 
Javoyne Hicks is a seasoned litigator with 18 years of experience as a former prosecutor.  She served as Chief Assistant District Attorney and Acting District Attorney for DeKalb County, Georgia, where she managed the grand jury process and all specialty units, including the white-collar crime division.  She also was instrumental in expanding the county’s pre-trial diversion programs.  Ms. Hicks has held several additional influential legal positions, including Clerk of the DeKalb County State and Magistrate Courts, Deputy Chief Assistant Solicitor-General for DeKalb County, and Chief of Staff of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4.  Ms. Hicks will bolster the firm’s internal investigation practice.
 
Monica Owens is a skilled attorney with over two decades of experience advising and representing Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, banks, real estate owners, small businesses, and professionals in a broad range of matters before federal and state courts. Ms. Owens consistently delivers positive outcomes to her clients, defending them against claims in high-risk litigation. As a litigator, a former judicial staff attorney of the Georgia Court of Appeals, and a former judicial staff attorney of Georgia's busiest trial court, she has extensive knowledge of appellate practice and court procedures. Ms. Owens’ will use her depth of experience to assist clients with complex commercial litigation matters and bolster the firm’s appellate practice.
 
Bria Stephens is a litigation associate with experience handling complex commercial litigation matters.  Before joining Lawrence & Bundy, Ms. Stephens worked at Alston & Bird as an associate in the litigation and trial practice group.  She has also served as an intern at the Federal Judicial Center and the U.S. Department of Education.  Ms. Stephens is assisting with upcoming trials and will work with clients on a number of complex commercial litigation and internal investigation matters.
 
“We are excited to welcome Javoyne, Monica, and Bria to the team.  Their depth of experience in complex commercial litigation combined with their client-focused approach will benefit both our clients and our team,” said Washington D.C. partner Thomas Bundy.
 
In addition to the practice of law, Ms. Hicks, Ms. Owens, and Ms. Stephens each share a commitment to serving the community.  Ms. Hicks serves as Chair of the State Bar of Georgia Wellness Committee and as a member of the Executive Committee of the State Bar of Georgia’s Board of Governors.  She is the creator of the State Bar of Georgia's first Wellness and Practical Skills 12-hour Continuing Legal Education seminar.
 
Both Ms. Owens and Ms. Stephens have worked with nonprofit organizations committed to increasing literacy rates in the United States. Ms. Stephens is currently a Board Member at Leap Year in metro-Atlanta.  Leap Year works to improve literacy and college enrollment rates by recruiting first-generation high-school graduates as reading coaches for elementary students.